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Thursday, November 4, 2010

Dahican Beach-My Dream Destination Come True

In one of my previous posts (CLICK HERE), I mentioned Dahican Beach in Mati, Davao Oriental as one of my dream destinations. Well, the dream just recently came true. My wife and I traveled all the way from Bukidnon to Davao Oriental just to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary in Dahican last October 28, 2010. Though we stayed for only one day, we definitely had a great time there.

A crescent-shaped white beach facing the Pacific Ocean, Dahican Beach is the epitome of my ideal place to unwind and escape away from life's daily grind. Peaceful, quiet and not overcrowded, it remains to be unexploited by commercialization which is prevalent among the Philippines' more famous destination.

Dahican Beach is one of Mindanao's best kept secrets.

Located in the sleepy barangay of Dahican, this beach is definitely a hidden paradise in the east. Only two private resorts operate within this 7-kilometer white sand stretch, the Botona Dahican Beach Resort and the Tropical Kanakbai. These two resorts are situated far apart from each other and the rest of the area is considered as open or public beach.

An undeveloped portion of Dahican Beach.

With the pacific waves crashing on its shoreline, Dahican is an ideal place for skimboarding and some surfing. Smacked in the middle of the beach strip is the home of the Amihan Skim and Surf Team. This is a group of local skimboarders and surfers who are now slowly getting famous after their founder George "Jun" Plaza was featured in the Heroes section of Readers Digest October 2010 issue. Dahican is now fast becoming known as the Skimboarding Capital of Mindanao.

While the lack of modern amenities may be a turn-off for those who are seeking luxury and comfort that upscale resorts provide, Dahican's charm really lies in its underdeveloped state. It is perfect for those who want to simply relax, take a dip on its azure waters, stare at the horizon or do nothing all. At night, instead of loud blaring music and blinking disco lights, the sound you will hear is the crashing of the waves and the lights you will see are the constellations in the sky.

Travel Tips:

Dahican Beach is about 15 kilometers away from the town proper of Mati, Davao Oriental. You can hire a pedicab or a "habal-habal" at the Mati transport terminal. Once you're off the national highway, the road going to Dahican is rough and dusty. But you will enjoy the scenery of vast coconut plantation before reaching the beach.

You may also pitch your tents at the Amihan Skim and Surf area. They only charge Php50.00 per night.

Where to Eat:
Botona Dahican Beach Resort has a resto-bar where you can order food and drinks. We were not able to stay at Tropical Kanakbai so I am not sure if they have a restaurant there. You may also bring your own supplies and cook your food at these resorts. If you're staying at the Amihan Skim and Surf area, you can ask the team members to cook for you.

Awesome place. I need to really explore Davao. I just came from there 3 weeks ago. We climbed apo and then went to Samal. It was great but me and my friends had to come back to Manila coz they had work so we didn't get to explore as much as we wanted.